Unitfd statfs patfnt offit



Feb 15, 1938. J. G. SJOBERG 2,i08,183

DREDGE PIPE Y VALVE Filed Jan. 9, 1957 25min 5 INVENTOR. JOHN 6. 5.7055126 ATTORNEY.

Patented Feb. 15, 1938 UNITED This invention relates lines and in particular to a Y-valve for such lines t DREDGE PIPE Y VALVE John G. Sjoberg,

Pacific Coast Engineering Company, Inc., land, Calif., a corporation Application January 9,

8 Glairne.

to suction dredge pipe special construction in o divert the flow of mud from one branch discharge pipe line to another.

The principal object of vide improved constructio the invention is to pron in such a valve whereby it will withstand the great pressures and friction to which such a valv e must be subjected, yet

be operable with reasonable expenditure of power during the outward flow and stones.

Another object is to structionin the body of valve.

Still another feature is means involved. Other objects of the mixture of mud provide improved con the gate of this the provision of special for sealing the gate' against thepressures and advantages of the construction will appear in the following description and accompanying In the drawing,

Fig. 1, is a horizontal and its gate, and showing connections at the inlet valve.

drawing.

sectional view of the valve portions of the pipe line and two outlets of the ,Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the valve with parts broken away to show the inner construction.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged view showing in horizontal section a portion or nose of the valve gate in sealing relation to one of the side walls of the valve.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged view similar to that of Fig.

3 but showing the its sealing gaskets.

Generally, the parts the fiat-sided valve body at 2; and two outlets foot or heel of the gate and shown in the drawing are or casing I, with inlet 3 and 3', the inlet and the outlets being fitted with adapter sections 4, 5 and 5' which change from nect with dredge pipes being of the bolted flat to round form to con- 1 and 1, all connections flange type as indicated.

Within the casing is a vertically extending gate 8 secured to a vertical operating shaft 9 which projects through the bottom wall H closed at its lower end, and wall l2 and a sealing bearing l3 into a bearing through the top it! of the casing above which it is connected to an operating lever ofa 14 taking the form ment meshing with Worm l5 suitably In more detail the casing heavy steel plates suitably H are preferably of braced as indicated at I8,

quadrant or gear segower or hand-operated mounted on the casing.

walls H1, l2, l6 and the connections between all structural units and pipe connections are by means of outwardly extending flange joints as at l8 suitably bolted or riveted, as indicated. The

, upper plate, or top wall I2 is bolted at its martype of Oakland, Calif., assignor to Oak of California 1937, Serial No. 119.827

FEE;

gins to the adjacent connecting parts so that it may be removed for insertion of the valve gate 8 or renewal of its side plat The valve gate structure comprises a steel skeleton interior frame unit (though it may be a which weiding, or if the gate frame is cast The shaft is preferably of cast around the shaft.

welded together as a steel casting) and to the shaft is permanently secured as by it may be rectangular cross section or otherwise arranged to resist turning gate frame 26 and from the shaft both towar where it is embraced by the the frame is arched or tapered d its nose 2! and heel Z2 and is recessed on opposite sides to receive a pair of slightly arched heavy steel side plates 8 which are rernovably bolted to it so that they can be replaced as they become badly worn from the passing mud and ston The shaft is, of course, of

and the upper bearing a it passes into the bearings, it is suitably recessed for provided with a suitable It will be noted from Fig. tical shaft 9 is somewhat 22 of the valve gate than gate, and that when the round section where packing material and bolting gland i3 1 that the axis of vercloser to the heel end to the nose 2! of the gate is swung to its limit of travel in either direction, that its nose falls within a recess sho forward margins of so as to effectually ulder 23 formed at the the casing side walls it, ll protect the forward edge or nose of the gate from being struck by the flow of material and maintain a smooth, unobstructed passageway in either position of the gate.

The rear vertical edge of the gate or heel 22 moves along an arcuate path adjacent a curved wall 26 preferably formed wardly and return flanged by a steel casting outas at 2 fitted in between the top and bottom casing walls and bolted both to these walls and to the pipe adapter memhere 5 and 5.

The internally curved wall 2t is preferably machined and is sealed against leakage by L-shaped rubber gasket strips which are clamped to opposite sides of the gate as by means of bolts Zii interposed between which and the rubber strips are steel protection plates 2i which have flange portions 211- extending over the wall 25.

The double gasket strip arrangement described for the rear edge or heel of also along both thetop an the valve gate extends d bottom edges to seal 'ing of rectangular cross against the upper and lower walls of the casing, and it may also extend along the forward edge if shoulder 23 is made deep enough to protect it. However, I prefer a modified sealing arrangement for the nose of the gate as shown best in Fig. 3 and wherein a thick slab of soft rubber 2B is clamped by its forward edge to the side wall N5 of the casing as by means of overlying shoulder strips 23 which are bolted in place. The nose of the gate frame is beveled off slightly on both sides. as at 2! so as to fit nicely against the soft rubber slab, and owing to the gate shaft 9 being closer to the heel of the gate the forward end is exposed to somewhat greater pressure from the flowing mass passing through the valve and thus automatically held tightly against the soft rubber slab 28, although the worm and segment gate operating mechanism being self-locking of itself tends to prevent any opening of the gate.

From the above description the operation of the valve will be clear without further explanation, and while I fully realize that many Y-valve constructions have been made before, I feel that for heavy work in large suction dredge pipe lines, my special construction and combination as above set out are much superior and better adapted for such work than anything heretofore available.

I therefore claim:

1. A dredge pipe line Y valve comprising a casing of rectangular cross section having an inlet opening at its forward end and tWo spaced outlet openings at its rearward end, a gate fitting within said casing pivotally mounted on a vertical shaft intermediate the forward and rearward edges of the gate to swing the forward edge of the gate across said inlet opening against either side wall of the casing and the rearward edge of the gate from one to the other adjacent edges of the spaced outlet openings, a curved Wall extending between said outlet openings against which the rearward end of the gate seals, said gate being of tapering thickness thicker at the position of the shaft and provided with a frame integrally secured to the shaft.

2. A dredge pipe line Y valve comprising a cassection having an inlet opening at its forward end and two spaced outlet openings at its rearward end, a gate fitting within said casing pivotally mounted on a vertical shaft intermediate the forward and rearward edges of the gate to swing the forward edge of the gate across said inlet opening against either side wall of the casing and the rearward edge of the gate from one to the other adjacent edges of the spaced outlet openings, a curved wall extending between said outlet openings against which the rearward end of the gate seals, said gate being of tapering thickness thicker at the position of the shaft and provided with a frame integrally secured to the shaft, and arched side plates removably secured at opposite sides of said frame.

3. A dredge pipe line Y valve comprising a casing of rectangular cross section having an inlet opening at its forward end and two spaced outlet openings at its rearward end, a gate fitting within said casing pivotally mounted on a vertical shaft intermediate the forward and rearward edges of the gate to swing the forward edge of the gate across said inlet opening against either side wall of the casing and the rearward edge of the gate from one to the other adjacent edges of the spaced outlet openings, a curved wall extending between said outlet openings against which the rearward end of the gate seals, and L-shaped soft rubber gasket strips clamped to opposite sides plate for the rear of and along a plurality of margins of said gate sealing same against the casing by internal pressure acting against the gasket.

4. A dredge pipe line Y valve comprising a casing of rectangular cross section having an inlet opening at it forward end and two spaced outlet openings at its rearward end, a gate fitting within said casing pivotally mounted on a vertical shaft intermediate the forward and rearward edges of the gate to swing the forward edge of the gate across said inlet opening against either side wall of the casing and the rearward edge of the gate from one to the other adjacent edges of the spaced outlet openings, a curved wall extending between said outlet openings against which the rearward end of the gate seals, and L-shaped soft rubber gasket strips clamped to opposite sides of and along a plurality of margins of said gate sealing same against the casing by internal pressure acting against the gasket, the leg of the gasket strips clamped to the gate being covered by clamping plates extending over the edge of the strips.

5. A dredge pipe line Y valve comprising a casshaft intermediate the forward and rearward spaced outlet openings, curved wall member clamped between the top and bottom plates of the casing forming a sealing edge of the gate in its arcuate path of travel.

6. In the construction specified in claim 5, the top and bottom walls of said casing being fiat steel plates, and said curved shaft being closer to the rear edge of the gate than to the forward edge whereby the forward portion of the gate will be over-balanced by in ternal pressure within the valve casing, a soft rubber gasket strip along opposite side walls of the valve casing against which the forward margin of the gate is adapted to impinge, and a shoulder on the side wall overlying the forward edge of the gate forming a substantially continuous passage surface with the flow diverting side of the gate.

JOHN G. SJOBERG- and an outwardly flanged 

